A Match Made in Church Sparks a Journey of Self-Discovery

On a weekend evening in April 2016, Jonathan Runge Stewart came home to his apartment in Manhattan’s West Village from a first date with Enrico Lagasca, elated, his adrenaline running high.

At that time, almost no one knew that Mr. Stewart was romantically interested in men.

Mr. Stewart knew Mr. Lagasca from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Manhattan, where Mr. Lagasca, a classical singer, performed periodically, and where Mr. Stewart headed the board that oversaw the church’s Bach Vespers series. He and Mr. Lagasca saw each other around and were Facebook friends, but had never spent time alone — until that day.

“I had a huge crush on him,” Mr. Lagasca said. When he performed at the church, he would focus on Mr. Stewart. “It was like, I have to impress him,” Mr. Lagasca said.

Mr. Lagasca, 38, grew up in Manila and moved to Orlando, Fla., in 2006. In 2014, he graduated from the Mannes School of Music at the New School with a bachelor’s degree in music. He sings with choirs around the country, and works as a professional soloist with symphonies in the United States, Canada and Germany, including Carnegie Hall and the Portland Baroque Orchestra.

Mr. Stewart, 40, is a lead data scientist at Harmony Labs, an organization that conducts research into media and society. Born and raised in Vincennes, Ind., he has a bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, and an M.B.A. from NYU Stern School of Business.

When the two first met in September 2015, Mr. Stewart was dating a woman. Though they split up that winter, Mr. Stewart kept his sexual identity private, so Mr. Lagasca had no idea if his crush was reciprocated and did not make a move.